With the presence of multiple manufacturers (Mercedes, Toyota, Nissan, Chrysler and last but not least, the first appearance of Audi), the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was shaping up to be an epic edition. It didn't disappoint: there was no shortage of shock and awe, from Mercedes' two "flights," the interrupted effort of the other BMW V12 LMR driven by Kristensen-Lehto-Müller and the final victory for Dalmas-Martini-Winkelhock, with Toyota breathing down their necks all the way to the end.

Yannick Dalmas: "The V12 LMR was not necessarily the fastest, but we had worked on its reliability. I'm not saying it was indestructible, there are always weaknesses. During the prequalifying session, between Mulsanne and Indianapolis, the wing mast broke and I went head-to-tail at about 330 km/h without much damage to the car or to myself. It was truly frightening, I did manage to crack a rib...and it happened right about where the Mercedes took flight for the last time."

Given the number of manufacturers entered at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, how did you think the chips would fall?

"Knowing the brute power of Mercedes and Toyota, already present in 1998 and embroiled in a massive battle with Porsche that year, there were favorites in 1999 but they aren't necessarily the ones who won. But at Le Mans, even if you've won several times and have a great deal of experience, you have to stay humble. It is a very special circuit. It's very fast, there is an enormous amount of traffic on the track both day and night. And if you look at the history of the 24 Hours these past 25 years, there have always been outsiders, fights and nonstop twists from the first to the last minute of the race. In 1999, I wanted to focus on my car, on the people in my team...the engineer with whom we won the 1995 24 Hours with McLaren, the technicians, the engine manufacturers and mechanics. We witnessed an impressive demonstration of logistics on the part of Mercedes and Toyota, with an insane battle and cars going extremely fast. Even as we kept an eye on what the others were doing, we were concentrating on our car and I thought to myself if we do good work, we could achieve a very good result."

You went with a slower pace than the other V12 LMR...

"For me, the race kicked off way too fast. During the pre-race general briefing with the managers, engineers and drivers, the idea was to go as hard as possible. To me, the car was reliable, but if we went that way, we wouldn't make it to the end. Also, I had requested power steering because the V12 LMR generated a lot of downforce, steering was tough. At the wheel, we need it to be sensitive so the driver doesn't have to force it, it's not a body-building session after all. Our car had power steering, the other did not. We started at the pace we had set for ourselves. After we took the lead, Pierluigi Martini did what he had to in the final hours to put distance between the car and the Toyota."

What are your thoughts these days on your four wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

"At the time of my first win with Peugeot, in 1992, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a part of a World Championship, as it is today, and we won both the race and the championship in one fell swoop. Even though I didn't win in 1993, I really benefitted that year as if I'd won Le Mans, by the impact and exposure as a driver. It's really a powerful thing. 1995 was the most difficult edition because of the weather, which explains why a GT was able to win the race. 1999 was also a hard year, more so strategically and competitively, because if we had failed to adopt my teammates' strategy, we would never have been able to win the race."

 

Click below for the first part of this interview:

Yannick Dalmas, BMW and the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans (1/2)

Click below to learn more about BMW's history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans:

BMW at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1) - Ten key dates

BMW at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2) - Four groundbreaking GTs

BMW at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (3) - 1999...and other wins

BMW at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (4) - Ten driver stories

 

PHOTO (copyright FIA): Four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (1992, 1994, 1995 and 1999) Yannick Dalmas is now a driver consultant with the FIA for the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC).